Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to on-demand digital thermal transfer printer systems, and more particularly, to thermal printer systems that print on both flat objects and cylindrical objects.
Background Information
Thermal transfer printer systems, such as Impress Systems Foil Xpress printers, operate on-demand to accurately and efficiently print alphanumeric information and designs, such as logos, titles and so forth, directly onto essentially flat objects such as, for example, book covers, greeting cards, and the like. Thermal transfer cylinder printer systems, such as Impress Systems Cyclone printers, operate on-demand to accurately and efficiently print alphanumeric information and designs directly onto a variety of cylindrical objects, such as pens, pencils, cosmetic items, medical devices (e.g., syringe barrels), and so forth. The cylinder thermal printers are further discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,600, which is assigned to Impress Systems and is incorporated herein by reference.
There is a potential for savings in terms of both cost and efficiency if both flat and cylindrical printing functions could be performed a single printer. However, the requirements for the alignment between a print head and the flat object and the print head and the cylindrical object differ. More specifically, the alignment between the print head and the cylindrical object must be extremely precise, on the order of two thousandths of an inch, to ensure printing occurs accurately on the curved surface of the cylindrical object. Accordingly, a printer that prints on both flat and cylindrical objects must maintain the requisite alignment tolerances associated with the printing on the cylindrical objects whenever the printer is utilized to print on cylindrical objects.